What software for home video editing on OSX Mountain Lion

I would like to start with home video editing on my iMac but I cant find that many programs that runs on OSX.
Im after something a bit better than imovie, and if possible a little cheaper then Final Cut Pro X.
I do like the options Adobe Premiere Elements 10 offers but I have been reading some horrible reviews about it.

Things I would like are: Easy operation, stable on OSX Mountain Lion, quick rendering, direcly burn from the program and being able to burn HD content to DVD (like adobe offers).
It would also be nice to be able to import m2ts files from disk instead of directly from camera because I have some old movies saved on harddisk.

Are there any alternatives or are Adobe Premiere Elements and FCP X the only real options?

What you're asking is going to be in the price range of FCPX. You're not going to find cheaper alternatives, unfortunately. Having said that, I use FCPX and Premiere... and occasionally Sony Vegas via Boot Camp. Like you said, iMovie is... okay... but if you want more options, you're gonna have to go with the above. Adobe will occasionally have education discounts on their software that are exponentially cheaper than retail... if you're eligible I would look into that.

In the end I wouldnt mind spend the extra money to get FCPX or any other program if it suits my needs, but if im correct FCPX doesnt have the option to burn HD movies to DVD and import m2ts files from other sources than the camera itself like Premiere has am I right?

How is Premiere working out for you on the MAC? is it stable and is the rendering time okay compared to FCPX?
What would you recommend for a beginner? I'm just one of those ocassional movie makers so so easy operation is importent to me.
Of course I can just try out the trials of both but I just hope to be on the right track right away.

What you're asking is going to be in the price range of FCPX. You're not going to find cheaper alternatives, unfortunately. Having said that, I use FCPX and Premiere... and occasionally Sony Vegas via Boot Camp. Like you said, iMovie is... okay... but if you want more options, you're gonna have to go with the above. Adobe will occasionally have education discounts on their software that are exponentially cheaper than retail... if you're eligible I would look into that.

In the end I wouldnt mind spend the extra money to get FCPX or any other program if it suits my needs, but if im correct FCPX doesnt have the option to burn HD movies to DVD and import m2ts files from other sources than the camera itself like Premiere has am I right?

How is Premiere working out for you on the MAC? is it stable and is the rendering time okay compared to FCPX?
What would you recommend for a beginner? I'm just one of those ocassional movie makers so so easy operation is importent to me.
Of course I can just try out the trials of both but I just hope to be on the right track right away.

Kind regards,

Alex

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I use ClipWrap to transcode m2ts files to a format FCPX can use and it takes a few seconds to a minute to do so, depending on the size of the file. Premiere works great for me and it's nice to be able to have more than one editing app as they both have their pros and cons. The rendering time is about the same. Either program is okay for a beginner as long as you read up a little online... maybe some free tutorials... though when I first started I bought several tutorial books on both apps. It might not be all that necessary to know the bells and whistles of the apps, but when you know what your program can do for you, it makes editing a lot more fun.

If you're OS is 32 bit, then you can only use the 32 bit software version. If your OS is 64 bit, you have the option of either 32 and 64. 64 bit version will take advantage of extra memory (if you have it installed).

Quick other question if you guys dont mind.
It was a hell of a job reinstalling all my sample libraries and software after the clean install of Mountain Lion.
I just purchased a new external HDD and Im wondering if there is a way to make a full image of the system disk to save me some troubles if I have to reinstall for any reason.

Quick other question if you guys dont mind.
It was a hell of a job reinstalling all my sample libraries and software after the clean install of Mountain Lion.
I just purchased a new external HDD and Im wondering if there is a way to make a full image of the system disk to save me some troubles if I have to reinstall for any reason.

No wonder everyone thinks Adobe Premiere Elements 10 works so poorly with Mountain Lion. The specifications info indicates that it's not compatible.

Too bad in more ways than one: Today only (8/14/12), B&H Photo is selling a bundle of Adobe Premiere Elements 10 and Photoshop 10 for $69.95, plus free shipping. Of course, this offer is probably being made because of the compatibility issue. I'm guessing/hoping, then, that they'll come up with a new version for ML, even though we won't see that price again.

Good luck with whatever you choose. (And thanks to the reader who recommended the two other programs--helps me too.)

My budget don't stretch to the limited of asking that I want something better than iMovie or FCP X.
If you are not in the professional market then the above two software will do the job.
It is not the software one should consider but the art of producing a video which will entertain people.
I find FCP X ideal for my needs and the MAC.

Just so you know it is impossible to burn a HD video to DVD. DVD although might have enough size cannot be authored to play 1920x1080 (to my knowledge anyway let me know if you can i will be very happy) You can only burn HD to bluray which Macs don't support. When you author to DVD i believe the resolution drops to something like 480p

Just so you know it is impossible to burn a HD video to DVD. DVD although might have enough size cannot be authored to play 1920x1080 (to my knowledge anyway let me know if you can i will be very happy) You can only burn HD to bluray which Macs don't support. When you author to DVD i believe the resolution drops to something like 480p

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Partially true... you can burn HD 1080p files to a DVD without issue. They won't play back in a DVD player though and can only be used as a portable disk (like a flash drive) Burning HD source video to a playable DVD reduces the resolution to 720x480 in the US and 720x576 elsewhere I believe.

Adobe Premiere will directly import .MTS files from a HD or SD card, something that FCP and iMovie refuse to do. Apple does not play well with AVCHD unless you import directly from your camera. Kinda pathetic in my opinion.

After skimming the thread I don't think the OP mentioned anything that can't be achieved in iMovie.

daybreak I disagree that if you are not a professional you need anything better than FCP X. What about people that do videography as a hobby. I don't really like FCP X. It's great for some things but not so great at more crafted pieces and for that I still use FCP 7.

I just seen your video "The Shot". Sorry to say we done those type of video or short films in the 60s.
Basically what i'm saying is you can have the best equipment in the world or talent, but one can kill a video by editing and a few other things.
We as a society want better editing software. But we dont ask ourself what do we actually need.
Final Cut Pro 7 is a fine editing software. FCP X is a new format which over the years will lead us to just talking and our software will edit. Hands will become unemployed. That is the future.
As long as you are happy with your software fine.

I just seen your video "The Shot". Sorry to say we done those type of video or short films in the 60s.
Basically what i'm saying is you can have the best equipment in the world or talent, but one can kill a video by editing and a few other things.
We as a society want better editing software. But we dont ask ourself what do we actually need.
Final Cut Pro 7 is a fine editing software. FCP X is a new format which over the years will lead us to just talking and our software will edit. Hands will become unemployed. That is the future.
As long as you are happy with your software fine.

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The shot is not an example of my professional work in the slightest and was something that was made for a weekend project. I don't understand why you decided to have a dig at some of the work I have produced? I was simply disagreeing with the fact that you said that no non-professional would ever want anything more than FCP X.

I don't know how many years you are talking but talking to your editing software is too far off to even comprehend for me.

Partially true... you can burn HD 1080p files to a DVD without issue. They won't play back in a DVD player though and can only be used as a portable disk (like a flash drive) Burning HD source video to a playable DVD reduces the resolution to 720x480 in the US and 720x576 elsewhere I believe.

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Should of clarified. Yes this is possible but not really useful since there are USB drives. I used the term authoring which is creating a DVD for playback in my OP.

Sorry but i'm not having a dig at SOME of the work you have made. You advertise, your work on the Vimeo Channel and that was the one i clicked on.
It appears you have your views and i have mine.
Your work looks fine to me. But many subject matters shown on Vimeo and YouTube, are most reworked videos on old themes. Like reshooting old films.
Reading most posts on this forum hits me with one message, :What software for editing".
Sorry if i have offended you in any way. NOT MY INTENTION

The shot is not an example of my professional work in the slightest and was something that was made for a weekend project. I don't understand why you decided to have a dig at some of the work I have produced? I was simply disagreeing with the fact that you said that no non-professional would ever want anything more than FCP X.

I don't know how many years you are talking but talking to your editing software is too far off to even comprehend for me.

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I think what daybreak was trying to say is that the content is more important then the tools in some cases and people get too caught up on "is this professional software". I do agree with him on that point. People get waaayyy too hung up on their gear when they still haven't learned the rule of thirds in composition, or shoot a great looking short that has terrible dialogue and no story. I don't think he was looking to insult your work either.

I have to concur; iMovie is a reasonable place to start. There's no need to move to the expensive options if you don't need their features.

(And from what I've seen, FCP X is closer to "iMovie Pro" than the old Final Cut Pro.)

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This is the best advice I've seen so far., but the second statement is not accurate in my opinion. It's pretty much everything a Pro editor needs (depending on their workflow), but with a completely different (and better IMHO) UI making it faster, and simpler to use. If anything it allows you to be MORE creative by doing more stuff for you so that you only need to concentrate on the content.

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